Sir, reporting for Mission 104 Nürnburg
With a very dark night enveloping the 'drome we took off smoothly and gained altitude quickly.Our gunners fired a couple of bursts and reported over the intercom that we had protection if needed … was our light-hearted mood to be tested?
Time seemed to pass slowly.The breaks in the clouds gave us glimpses of the North Sea which was unchanging in its blackness. Then we had landfall; the Netherlands … then Geoff Lee, Navigator announced entering over Germany.
In Zone7 a shout from Ray, in the tail, announced the approach of a ME110. Our first Kraut of this mission. We heard the hammer of his guns but he had missed. The bandit also was off but with a second approach from 9 o'clock he struck effectively at our Nose and Tail. We couldn't hit him. He came on again. This time he fired wild and missed.
Damage report was serious. Our bomb controls were out; manual ops. only. And from the tail Sgt.Hope reckoned the gun was inoperable. Pieces had been blown away and the sight shattered. The tracking was okay … he thought, " …might be able to do something". We were feeling vulnerable.
Zone9 and we have our next encounter. We didn't see it coming. But we heard it's arrival. Thudding impacts in the waist and Stan Finney's cries over the intercom combined. The 110 swooped around again a couple of times but never got us again. We wondered how new crewman Finney was; he didn't respond over the intercom. We'd have to check when we could.
Target Zone now. A Tame Boar appeared out of nowhere but fortunately only damaged the Port Wing root before disappearing. Search lights were dancing around, piercing through the thinner clouds and illuminating, like ghostly cotton wool, the thicker ones. Flak was hardly present and we could concentrate on conducting the best bomb-run we could given the circumstances.
Hawkins and Granger were ready to work the manual gear for the bomb-bay. They waited on the call from Jack Mills our Bomb Aimer. It was tense … "Steady … Now!" … "Bombs Away!" … "On target!" From observations we were able to make through the cloud cover, as we made the turn, we reckon 30% was achieved.
We think it was "Perdido" we saw drop altitude in Zone 9. Just after leaving Nurnburg they were taking evasive action but must've been hit.
Licking our wounds we headed for home. Ray Hope couldn't do anything with his inoperable gun so he made his way back along to see if he could help Stan Finney at the Mid-Upper gun. We'd not had a peep out of him since the attack rained shells into his area.
"'fraid he's out cold. Blood pretty much all over his front. I'll do what I can", reported Ray. "And the gun's kaput."
Weather had deteriorated over Base as we came in. But we landed safely. Medics were waiting by and has Flt.Sgt.Finney off to surgery pronto.
Ground crew report damage as repairable. Two new guns needed! we had been sitting ducks. Peckham points 87.
Report compiled and submitted respectfully by,
Flying Officer Bernard Keen
15th Oct.1944
Post report on Flt.Sgt.Stanley Finney is that his wounds can be healed but his active days are over.